The emergence of numerous AI-powered image-generating software heralds a new era of innovation in image creation, with Midjourney in the lead. The program has quickly made a name for itself with its groundbreaking photorealistic images, accessibility, and user-friendliness. However, the limitations of Midjourney have become more evident in recent times, even as the program continues to garner popularity.
This article offers a deep dive into the limitations of Midjourney's AI model and how users can navigate around some of these drawbacks. We'll also look at some of the program's rules designed to help users enjoy their image-generating experience.
Midjourney has inarguably revolutionized the world of digital image generation with its innovative AI model. However, the program has certain limitations that can impact its output and performance. Below are some of them:
Unlike most of its competitors that have designated websites, Midjourney works exclusively through Discord, a messaging platform. The onboarding process is complicated and time-consuming as users first have to sign up for Discord before joining Midjourney. This tedious process takes all the fun away from users who simply want to have fun using an AI image generator.
Additionally, the Midjourney Discord server is public, allowing everyone on the platform to see what everyone is doing. This becomes a problem for users who would want their privacy. However, this issue can be solved by using higher-end payment plans, which allow users to work in stealth mode, keeping their images away from the general platform.
Midjourney's AI model limits the creative freedom of users with its strict content rules. The program seeks to make its content PG-13, and thus, it aggressively censors the type of prompts and images users can generate using its model.
The program has a filter that automatically bans content relating to violence, drugs, harassment, adult content, gore, homophobia, aggression, abuse, and racism. It also prohibits content that leans toward controversial political topics and specific leaders.
While these restrictions are in place to ensure a safe and welcoming environment, most users complain that the restrictions affect the level of their creativity.
Midjourney does a fantastic job of generating visually appealing images. However, it often does not understand the context of the prompts provided by users and rather focuses on creating aesthetically pleasing images.
As a result, the generated image ends up looking totally different from what the user imagined when sending the prompt. This especially happens when creating images within highly specialized domains or industries. Midjourney's general-purpose training makes it difficult to replicate fine-grained details and specific requirements of those types of images.
One way to get around this limitation is to avoid being too vague in the prompts. Always keep in mind that with Midjourney, the results are as good as the prompts. Providing the AI model with a detailed description of the imagined concept goes a long way to help it generate images that accurately capture the essence of the text prompt.
Additionally, training Midjourney's AI with materials on specialized domains helps it to effectively generate images related to such industries. However, this approach takes time and requires a high level of expertise and resources.
The biggest driver of Midjourney's popularity is its ability to create lifelike images that often rival what is obtainable in the real world. However, this same factor contributes to its biggest limitation — lack of creativity.
Midjourney's AI model lacks the ability to think outside the box. It can not generate images of unseen or rare subjects and abstract concepts. The reason for this is that the program was trained using pre-existing real-world data. Thus, it is challenging for the AI model to create something completely novel or an image that is above and beyond what is conceivable in the real world.
This lack of creativity limits the potential application of Midjourney in certain industries where creativity and innovation thrive, like the gaming industry. Therefore, although Midjourney can produce photorealistic images, it lacks human creativity and imagination.
Another limitation is the program's pricing plan. Up until April 2023, Midjourney offered users a free trial phase that allowed them to enjoy the services it offers and create up to 25 images for free. After the trial phase, users had the option of two pricing plans, the basic plan and the standard plan.
However, with the influx of millions of free trial users, the AI image generator could no longer keep up with the demand and had to scrap the service. Now, Midjourney offers access to its services via four pricing plans. The basic plan, the standard plan, the pro plan, and the mega plan, which costs $10, $30, $60, and $120 per month, respectively.
Therefore, while Midjourney may offer high-quality images, these come at a hefty price, especially as users often have to carefully balance their allocated hours with each plan to avoid extra costs. Additionally, the lack of a free trial makes it difficult for new users to test out the service before committing any money.
Undoubtedly, Midjourney is an innovative text-to-image AI service that makes it easy for anyone to create realistic images, regardless of their photography skills. The program has several distinct advantages that make it suitable for multiple applications and industries. It is a great tool for designers, marketers, and content creators to generate captivating images that appeal to their target audience.
However, Midjourney's potential is limited by its poor usability, censorship, and inability to create imaginative images that go beyond the realm of reality, among other limitations. Nonetheless, there is still much room for improvement. The AI industry is continuously evolving, and Midjourney is evolving with it. Despite its limitations, Midjourney has a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to follow along as it unleashes the power of AI in image generation.
